Harry Potter and the Fourth School
by Dalwyn
Summary: "Anyone wishing to submit themselves as champion must write their name and school clearly upon a slip of parchment ..." Not slash.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is a repost. A few reviewers have said "Huh?" about a point I was admittedly trying to be subtle about, so I've added a scene and extended a couple of others slightly. I have also made 2 or 3 minor corrections while I had the file open.

This story exploits something I've always considered to be a plot hole in canon but have never seen anyone comment on. While this chapter stands on its own, there will be a short epilogue written in a rather darker style. The rating for that epilogue - this chapter is probably K+.

Disclaimer: Jo's world and characters are the property of Jo, some publishers and studios, and an infinite number of lawyers. The Harrow School belongs to someone else too. All I own is an odd plot and bizarre sense of humour.

_Italicized text_ was borrowed with my compliments from canon (book).

- HPATFS -

"_Anyone wishing to submit themselves as champion must write their name and school clearly upon a slip of parchment …_" - GoF

- HPATFS -

"_Because they hoodwinked a very powerful magic object!" growled Moody. "It would have needed an exceptionally strong Confundus Charm to bamboozle that goblet into forgetting that only three schools compete in the tournament – I'm guessing they submitted Potter's name under a fourth school, to make sure he was the only one is his category._" - GoF

Harry looked sharply at Moody, then more speculatively at the parchment still in Dumbledore's hand.

"May I see that parchment for a moment, please?" he asked.

Dumbledore handed him the slip, as Crouch and Moody looked on interestedly.

Glancing at it, Harry's tension evaporated. "I won't be participating," he said clearly and firmly.

"So the grandstanding brat entered on a whim and now doesn't want to play," Snape drawled. "This is the same kind of rule breaking we've come to expect from you, you pathetic excuse for a wizard."

"Severus …," Dumbledore chastened gently. Turning to Harry, he continued, "Harry, why do you say you won't compete?"

"I wasn't selected as champion," Harry explained. "This slip says Harry Potter, the Harrow School. That's not me. I'm a student at Hogwarts. I've never even been to the Harrow School. Or heard of it, actually. Obviously this is a different Harry Potter.

"I can't be required to compete in a tournament in which I didn't enter, and indeed wasn't selected. I won't compete."

He paused, as the adults in the room looked at him completely shocked.

"I suppose you ought to find this other Harry Potter and let him know."

While they were all still gaping at him, Harry turned and quietly left the room.

- HPATFS -

Harry climbed through the entrance to the Gryffindor common room to find a party in full swing. The twins rushed up.

"Harry"

"old buddy"

"how did"

"you"

"do it?"

"Even we"

"couldn't cross"

"that age line."

Harry rolled his eyes, both at the twins antics, as well as their belief that he had entered himself in the tournament. He pulled out his wand and let off a cannon blast.

Ignoring some muttered complaints, Harry spoke loudly so everyone in the room could hear. "Ok, listen up. I want you all to know that I didn't enter my name in the competition, and I refuse to have anything to do with it. I won't be competing. Cedric Diggory is the only Hogwarts champion. I hope you all support him as I will. Thank you."

By the end of this statement, Ron had approached. "You're daft! What about the fame? The 1000 Galleon prize?"

"I don't need any _more_ fame," Harry sighed. "Far from it. Really, who won the last tournament? Do you even know? And the money … it isn't worth it. Hermione looked it up, in each of the last 3 tournaments someone has _died_. Sometimes more than one person. It just isn't worth it."

Ron's face had been getting redder as Harry spoke. Oh yes, Harry is already _bloody famous_, and so rich that a _mere_ 1000 galleons is _beneath him_. But he latched onto the last point, "Too dangerous! You're a coward, Potter!" he screamed, and stomped up the stairs to the dorms.

- HPATFS -

Word that Harry refused to participate in a tournament he didn't enter – or as the most prevalent rumour went, that he entered to get attention and chickened out when it came to participate – swept through the school by breakfast the next morning. He arrived in the Great Hall to sneers, catcalls, and boos. Harry's insistence that he hadn't entered fell on deaf ears.

Harry's life in the castle became increasingly unpleasant over the following week. Stares and whispers followed him everywhere. He couldn't do any of his work in potions, because if he looked away from his cauldron for even a brief moment to check the instructions or even to pick up the next ingredient, when he turned back he found the potion had been sabotaged (the first time), then vanished (the second time), then banished into a nearby student (the third, for which he 'earned' a week of detention and loss of 100 House points). Ultimately he stopped even trying to brew, and packed up his station (for which 'earned' a second week of detention, a further loss of 50 House points, and zero for the day).

Harry's only satisfaction was that the point loss actually punished Gryffindor more than him – poetic justice, he thought, as the Gryffindors were probably responsible for much of the sabotage. After all, why would the Slytherins bother to sabotage him and possibly get caught, if the stupid Gryffindors would do it for them?

A few days into the week, several students started wearing "Support Cedric Diggory" buttons, glaring at Harry all the more. The day after that, Malfoy and his bookends accosted Harry in the front entry.

"Hey Potter, do you like our buttons?"

Harry looked over to see them wearing "Support Cedric Diggory" buttons, but as he watched, the buttons changed to read "Potter's a Coward." They all laughed. Harry just shook his head and continued on his way.

This came to a head one morning after Herbology. Harry trekked slowly up to the castle with Hermione, discussing the lesson. As they entered the Great Hall he saw most of the students and staff already eating dinner. Most of the students were wearing the "Potter's a Coward" buttons. Rather brazenly he thought, but then again, glancing at the head table he could see the professors were – as usual - going to turn a blind eye to this harassment. Figures. Hermione just sighed as they continued down the table to take a seat near the twins.

As Harry started loading his plate, Ron called down the table, "Hey Potter, what do you think?"

Harry glanced at him and saw he was wearing the same button as the others, grinning evilly. "Like it?"

Harry put his fork down on his plate and sat back, looking around the hall to take in all the badges and sneering faces. He looked again to the Head Table to see several of the professors looking on interestedly, but apparently unconcernedly. He looked finally at Hermione, who had a worried look on her face, then he started to stand.

"Harry! What are you doing?" Hermione whispered urgently.

Ignoring her, Harry drew his wand, gathered his will, and called out in a loud clear voice, "I, Harry James Potter, swear on my magic and my life that I did not enter myself in the Tri-wizard Tournament; that I did not ask anyone else to enter for me; that I did not agree with anyone else that they should enter me; and that I wasn't selected as a champion and thus will not participate in the Tri-Wizard Tournament in any fashion. This I swear on my magic and my life. So mote it be!"

There was a bright flash of blue light. Harry looked around the Hall at the now stunned faces, and again at the Head Table. Professor Snape had a calculating look, and Hagrid looked stunned, but Professors McGonagall and Dumbledore had gone white as a sheet.

Harry held his wand up. He said "Lumos!" quietly, and a bright ball of light left his wand to hover above him. Shaking his head, he returned to his seat. The only sound in the Hall was from the utensils he used to load up his plate.

- HPATFS -

A few minutes later, Professor McGonagall stopped behind Harry. "Mr. Potter, the Headmaster requires you in his office. Now."

"Too bad it isn't summer," Harry muttered as he put his cutlery down. "With the way my meals are always interrupted here, I might get more to eat with my relatives."

Entering Dumbledore's office a few minutes later, McGonagall following him in, he found Dumbledore, Snape and Moody already there.

"Do you know what you've done, boy?" Moody ranted. "You've bound yourself to an oath in direct violation of a magically binding contract! It is a double bind - you can't fulfil both commitments, and one or the other will kill you!" Moody was almost frothing at the mouth.

"No, I didn't," Harry sighed. "As we discussed after the names were drawn, my name wasn't drawn. Another Harry Potter's name was drawn. I have only the oath binding me, there is no contract for the tournament."

"I don't think so, Harry," said Dumbledore. "The contracts and rules are subtle and have centuries of varied and complicated history governing their application. I'm certain that the Goblet chose you. There is a magically binding contract that will require you to compete or forfeit your magic. Put aside any other notion, you _will_ be competing."

"No, I won't. I don't believe that is true. I will not compete!" he yelled the end, spun around, and ran out of the office.

- HPATFS -

The day of the first task arrived. Partway through supper, Professor McGonagall walked down from the Head Table to Hermione, and looked up and down the table.

"Miss Granger, where is Mr. Potter? He's expected at the first task now."

"I haven't seen him," she replied. "I can't imagine he'll go. To do so will be to forfeit his life and magic. In fact, I can't understand why you would be encouraging him to do so."

The professor drew herself up. "Miss Granger! The Headmaster assures us that he has dissolved Mr. Potter's oath due to the conflict with the tournament contract. He must participate. 10 points from Gryffindor for your disrespect."

Hermione watched the professor leave, and muttered to herself, "I begin to see Harry's point about the professors."

- HPATFS -

Harry still hadn't shown up by the time the task started. Hermione sat in the stands with the Gryffindors – though not too close to the rest, as her support of Harry had not endeared her to her housemates and none of them wanted to sit next to her.

Harry didn't seem to be anywhere, and she could see the Judges and organizers looking around as well. They didn't seem to know what to do when one of the champions didn't show up.

Hermione couldn't breathe when the handlers brought out the first dragon. Her mouth opening and closing like a fish, she finally managed to exhale, "Oh. My. God." It was a testament to her distraction that she didn't tell herself off for language. Nor did anyone else notice. "My God. OhmyGod!" she hyperventilated. "They wanted Harry to fight _that_!"

A hand covered her mouth suddenly, another clamped to her arm was holding her in place on the bench, and she heard a whispered, "I'm here. Don't say anything."

"Harry!" she whispered urgently. "My goodness. You're here. I can't believe it. I can't ..."

"Yeah," he responded very quietly from under his invisibility cloak. "Please don't give me away. I sure don't want to be out there."

Together they watched each of the champions battle their dragons in turn. Eventually the fourth dragon was brought out, the organizers apparently still hoping that Harry would turn up.

"Figures they'd save the best dragon for me," Harry whispered wryly. Hermione could only shake her head in rueful agreement.

"I guess this is it," he said. "If I'm right, nothing happens. If I'm not, I suppose I lose my magic." Hermione stiffened. He continued, "Please don't say anything. I'd rather lose my magic than fight that thing anyway."

Dumbledore, with a _Sonorous_, called out, "Mr. Potter! This is your last chance. If you don't participate now, you will have violated a magical contract, and the penalty will be enforced against you. It is out of my hands. You will lose your magic. Now, Mr. Potter."

Everyone in the stands looked around for him, the Slytherins laughing.

"Very well. Mr. Potter has not shown up for the first task." Dumbledore sat down heavily. There was a buzz of conversation through the stands.

On the way back to the castle, Harry ducked out of sight, whipped off his cloak, then returned to Hermione's side as she waited. As they entered the castle, a trio of Dumbledore, McGonagall and Snape swooped down on them looking quite put out. Others paused to watch.

"Mr. Potter, what do you have to say for yourself?" Professor McGonagall looked furious, her clipped tone even sharper than usual.

Snape looked gleeful. "Detention for the rest of the year Potter, and 100 points from Gryffindor, for embarrassing this institution."

Hermione goggled at him, and at McGonagall when she realized Harry would get no support from his Head of House.

Harry was only watching Professor Dumbledore, and sighed to realize the Headmaster was once again going to let Snape have his way.

"What have you done, Harry?" Dumbledore sounded particularly grave. "Without your magic, how will you meet your destiny?"

Harry slowly drew his wand, held it up, and whispered "Lumos". A ball of light came out of the tip and hovered over his head.

Dead silence.

Dumbledore looked puzzled. "How could this be?"

Snape pounced, "Potter has obviously cast some charm on the Goblet to void the contract. That's another 200 points. If I could, I'd have you in detention for all next year."

Harry shook his head angrily, and managed barely to control his tone as he said, "It is really very simple. Once again: I did not enter, and the Goblet didn't select me. It selected another Harry Potter who attends a different school. You all know this. You read the slip of parchment just as I did. I don't know why you keep thinking I was entered."

Dumbledore just shook his head as Harry turned and walked away quietly, and the three professors continued to Dumbledore's office. Arriving at the gargoyle, Dumbledore flicked his wand, and swayed suddenly as the gargoyle swung aside. Snape caught his arm to support him.

"Albus, what is it?" McGonagall said with concern.

"I'm not certain," he replied. "I'm sure it is nothing, just tired I suppose with all the extra work to run this tournament."

"Perhaps you should be checked by Poppy," McGonagall worried.

"Perhaps," he said dismissively.

The three continued up to his office, Dumbledore circling his desk to take his chair, while McGonagall found a comfortable seat before the desk and Snape took up his usual position leaning against a wall.

Dumbledore waved his wand to seal the room against interruption, and knew no more.

- HPATFS -

Dumbledore woke up in the hospital wing, Madame Pomfrey on one side of his bed, Snape and McGonagall on the other.

"How are you feeling, Albus?" Poppy asked.

"Fine, fine," he muttered. "I am, in fact, wondering … why am I here?"

"Minerva and Severus say you collapsed in your office when trying to perform a minor spell," Poppy explained. "They brought you down here. You seem fine, though there is something odd going on with your magical core. Albus, have you been overextending yourself magically lately? Perhaps using far more magic than usual?"

"Not as such," he replied. "I may be a little tired from organising the tournament …"

"That shouldn't have had this much effect," Poppy disagreed. "Minerva mentioned you also had a moment of weakness or disorientation on the way to your office.

"Somehow your magic seems to have become a little unstable. I haven't seen anything quite like this before. You must stop using magic until your core stabilises, or risk further damage or unpredictable results.

"Shall I have the elves transfer some of your belongings here?"

Dumbledore had been looking increasingly horrified as Madame Pomfrey spoke.

"NO!" Dumbledore blurted. Taking a deep breath, he continued more calmly, "We cannot allow word to get out. It would damage the reputation of the school …"

Minerva raised one eyebrow. "Perhaps," she said. "Perhaps not. People become ill all the time."

Dumbledore continued indulgently, "No, we will all keep this to ourselves. I will return to my suite and come to the Great Hall daily for meals. I'll avoid use of magic, relying on our Deputy Headmistress for any interventions that may be required.

"Until this momentary disruption to my magic has been resolved."

- HPATFS -

A week later, Hermione was at breakfast in the Great Hall. She had waited for Harry in the common room, but after he hadn't shown up for a few minutes, she had decided to come down without him.

As she was eating, Hedwig swooped down. 'Oh good,' she thought, 'my parents have written back.' She had written to her parents 2 days ago and Harry had been nice enough to allow her to use Hedwig. She guessed her parents had had a letter ready to send.

"Have you got something for me, Hedwig?" The owl stuck out her leg, and sure enough there was a letter. Seeing her own name, Hermione untied the letter and offered Hedwig some bacon. "Thank you, girl." Hedwig accepted the snack, butted her hand fondly, and flew off.

Continuing to eat, she absently opened the envelope and started to read.

She froze, then wailed "Harry's dead!". Professor McGonagall rushed down from the Head Table through the suddenly silent Hall.

Harry had just walked into the Hall to catch her exclamation and looked puzzled. "Um, what?"

Hermione slowly turned her head toward the entry, holding her breath, and as Harry walks closer she leaps up, rushes to him and clutches at him desperately, tears streaming down her face. "Oh .. oh .. oh .. you're alive! Oh thank goodness!" Anything else she might have said was muffled against his chest as her tears soaked his robes.

Harry held her a little awkwardly while looking over her shoulder at Ron and Professor McGonagall, eyebrows raised as if to repeat "Um, what?"

Lavender had picked up Hermione's letter and started to read. Professor McGonagall watched this invasion of privacy disapprovingly, but as she wanted to know what brought about this unseemly display she wasn't going to object. Yet, anyway.

"Hey, Harry," Lavender called. "This says you died last Tuesday. Hermione's mum read about it in the muggle papers. Why would the muggles think that? What were you doing at the Harrow School anyway? I've never heard of it."

Harry _had_ heard of it.

His friends and most of the rest of the Hall watched as first a frown, then surprise flitted across his face before it settled somewhere between anger and disgust. Harry's eyes flashed to the head table where Dumbledore sat his throne watching the proceedings with an indulgent half-smile.

This only made Harry angrier.

"Let me make sure I understand this. A Harry Potter, a student at the Harrow School, dies last Tuesday during the Tri-wizard task. He dies at his school, because he was selected as the fourth Tri-wizard Champion and didn't show up to compete."

At this point the Hall was utterly silent. The smile had run off Dumbledore's face as he finally understood why Harry hadn't been stripped of his magic for not competing. As he finally believed.

Hermione had pulled back a little from Harry to look up at him, and her eyes widened as her brain engaged.

McGonagall had bristled, though. "Mr. Potter! How dare you blame this poor child's death on the tournament!"

This only made Harry angrier. "I dare because Professors Dumbledore, Snape, Moody and yes, you, Professor, not to mention the other Heads and the tournament organizers, all of you knew the Goblet of Fire selected Harry Potter of the Harrow School as the fourth champion. That's what the slip of paper that came out of the Goblet said. Harry Potter – the Harrow School. I recall suggesting that this Harry Potter should probably be informed.

"I suppose none of the organizers actually bothered," he spat, eyes flashing back to Dumbledore. "And so, Harry Potter of the Harrow School died because of a magically binding contract to compete in a tournament and he Didn't. Even. Know. You bound him and you couldn't be bothered to even tell him."

Whispering erupted around the Hall. Professor McGonagall looked shocked, her mouth opened and closed once, then she whirled. "Headmaster, you assured us all that the name of the school on that slip didn't matter, that the Goblet had clearly selected our Mr. Potter."

Dumbledore had rallied by this point. "The unfortunate Mr. Potter wasn't even a wizard," he intoned indulgently, eyes twinkling madly. "A muggle simply couldn't have been selected, and the contract couldn't have bound him. His death at that time was mere coincidence."

Hermione backed out of Harry's loose grip, turned, and called out, "Do the Tournament Rules say that champions must be wizards? Or how wizard they must be? Perhaps he as a squib, or perhaps his parents were squibs. Or perhaps he was a wizard, but without a strong enough core to be invited to Hogwarts. Even if he was a muggle, do the rules actually say muggles can't compete?"

Hermione thoughtfully added, "What do the rules say about the tournament organizers informing champions of their selection? Are there any penalties for not doing so?"

She didn't understand why the blood suddenly seemed to drain out of Dumbledore and McGonagall, a look of horrified shock on their faces.

- HPATFS -

Omake

Barty Crouch Jr. writhed on the floor in agony in front of Wormtail and their master.

"Pathetic," Voldemort hissed. "A simple plan. Enter that brat in the tournament under a fictitious school. Trick the Goblet of Fire into thinking that school was participating. _Simple_.

"And what do you do? You use the name of a _real_ school. 'Oh, the name just came to me.' Of course it just came to you, you moron! You read the name on a sign! And they even have a student called Harry Potter! Imbecile! Crucio! CRUCIO!"


	2. The End

A/N: For those who read (and ideally reviewed) chapter 1 previously (thank you!), I have just reposted it. A few reviewers had been mildly perplexed about a point I was admittedly trying to be subtle about, so I've extended a scene to Dumbles' office, added a hospital scene, and extended the confrontation in the Great Hall. I have also made 2 or 3 minor corrections while I had the file open.

Disclaimer: Jo's world and characters are the property of Jo, some publishers and studios, and an infinite number of lawyers. Other credits in closing A/N.

- HPATFS: The End -

In a windowless dungeon room, the sole door closed and warded, he quietly reviewed his notes. It had taken him weeks to discover the activation charms, months to plan and execute the theft, all made more difficult because so many of his friends had been lost to the war. Hermione. Ron, Neville. Ginny. All gone. And so many others. McGonagall. Flitwick. Tonks. Lupin. Fleur. Gone.

Dumbledore still around. Even more useless since he lost his magic, but still muttering about his so-called Greater Good. Stupid bloody goat, got everyone killed with his "Everyone deserves a second chance," and "I'm very disappointed with your vengeful attitude."

Well, Hermione didn't get a second chance, did she? WELL? OR RON, _OR LUNA_?

_Oh god._

Harry had despaired of ever winning against Voldemort until he remembered the Tri-Wizard Tournament, and concocted this crazy plan. _Crazy _plan. Hopefully _deadl__y_. And if Harry didn't survive it, well, no matter. Everyone he loved was dead. He hoped he could at least see his parents again.

Putting his notes down, Harry rechecked the wards. They were as perfect as he could cast them – he'd studied for years, and practised them over and over to make sure they'd last until the end. And he had stored over a month worth of food and drink, as it simply wouldn't do to have to break the seals early for something he'd stupidly forgotten.

He uncovered the Goblet of Fire, and cast the charms that triggered the start of another tournament. Blue-white flames erupted, dancing around and through the Goblet. He located the three strips of parchment he'd prepared. On the first he wrote "Konstantin Trevelyan – Durmstrang," and "Julien Malfoy – Beauxbatons" on the second. Finding the names of Dark wizards and Voldemort supporters at the other schools had taken some research too. When he found that half the Malfoy family actually lived in France, well, one can't look a gift horse in the mouth.

On the final slip he wrote "Tom Marvolo Riddle – Hogwarts", and, after a final check of the spelling of all three, threw the slips into the Goblet. He settled down to wait.

The next day, the flames from the Goblet turned red, sparks flew up, and the three slightly singed slips were thrown in the air.

Harry spoke clearly, "The first task will take place in 30 days, here in this room." He again settled down to wait. It would be boring, but unfortunately the Tournament Rules said there must be at least 30 days from the time the champions were selected, until the first task.

And it would be 31 days until the time limit he built into the charms and wards on the room. Just in case he no longer had the magic to bring them down himself.

- Fin -

A/N: Honorable mention goes to Robst for being the first I'm aware of who forced Voldemort into the Tournament, in his excellent story "Knowledge is Power".

A/N Sept 19 2010: I have just stumbled across Bobmin's "Tournament Woes" over at fanficauthors, which ends Riddle in almost exactly the same way as I've done here. So mine is a shameless theft, except that I hadn't read Bobmin's before writing mine. Still, full credit and all that.


End file.
